Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, President Obama's activist EPA is at it again. This destructive agency, in advancing the administration's war on coal, is forcing the closure of six coal-fired power plants in three States. Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that the Muskingum River Power Plant in my district would have to close and eliminate over 100 jobs because of burdensome EPA regulations.

President Obama's war on coal is nothing new. With just one proposed rewrite of one rule, President Obama is putting tens of thousands of direct and indirect coal-related jobs at risk. Just over a week ago, the President stood in this Chamber and told Americans that he wants to create jobs and grow the economy, but his policies do the exact opposite.

Hardworking taxpayers across America deserve better. They deserve effective leadership that moves us forward rather than holding us back. With over 14 million Americans out of work, we can't afford more of the same failed

policies from this administration. They are hurting America.

I thank my colleague for yielding, and it's great to be here with so many of them who also believe in not only the Keystone pipeline but that America can attain energy independence and security.

When the President came into office, gasoline at the pumps was about $1.68 a gallon. Today, it's approaching $3.40, and in some places even higher than that. We face a dichotomy of leadership here in Washington, D.C. You just heard our colleague from Alabama talk about the President's State of the Union address, and he talked about an all-of- the-above approach to energy. Well, the administration's actions and their words simply don't match.

And there's no more striking example of this than the President's rejection of the Keystone pipeline, a project that would have created 20,000 immediate jobs, bipartisan support, even the unions are supportive of that project, upwards of 100,000 jobs as it trickled down through the life cycle of that project; and yet the President rejected it. Hardworking taxpayers across America, particularly those in my district along eastern and southeastern Ohio, are very tired of Washington taking more and giving less. They want real leadership, they want real solutions, and they want a return to American exceptionalism.

I remember, and I know many of you do, a time when we grasped the concept of American exceptionalism. President Kennedy told us back in the '60s, he said, We're going to go to the Moon in 10 years. We didn't make it in 10 years; we made it in 7 because he engaged every fabric of our society--academia, our industrial base, our economic base, our political will, and even our military was behind this idea of getting to the Moon. We saw industries crop up around space exploration. We saw millions of jobs created. We saw young people lining up to get into institutions where they could major in disciplines that would prepare them for careers in space exploration.

Think about what would happen if we really had an all-of-the-above approach to energy similar to that. Think about what would happen if America had an energy policy that said, starting today, we're going to draw a line in the sand, and over the next decade, we're going

to set a goal to become energy independent and secure in the United States. We're no longer going to sit on the sidelines. We're going to go after the 3 trillion barrels of oil that we already own. We're going to go after the natural gas we own because we're sitting on the world's largest deposits of it. We're going to continue to mine coal; and because we're going to invest in it, we're going to learn how to use it more environmentally soundly.

We're going to expand our nuclear footprint because guess what? It's the cleanest, safest form of energy on the planet. We're even going to look at wind and solar and find out where they fit into the energy profile. We know they can't solve all the problems, but they have a niche where they can. But we're not going to sit idly by and do nothing, and we're going to start by telling our regulatory agencies to become partners in progress with American businesses, to become rather than the department of ``no,'' the department of ``let's move the ball forward'' and get over throwing up arbitrary barriers that are keeping America from going after its own natural resources.

I submit to you, Mr. Speaker, that if we had that kind of all-of-the- above energy policy that had action behind the words, you would again see America believe in American exceptionalism. You would see young people lining up to get into institutions to major in disciplines to prepare them for advances in energy production, distribution, and even usage. And at the end of the day, we would see and we would find out that we would learn how to produce, store, and use energy in ways that we've never even imagined.

Do you know why? Because I do believe in American exceptionalism, and I know that my colleagues believe in American exceptionalism. I just don't think that our leaders in Washington and in the White House and in this administration believe in American exceptionalism.

It was a striking example back last March, last spring, when the Prime Minister of Australia stood in this very Chamber and gave a presentation. We were all here. She related a story, and she said, I remember being a young girl sitting in front of my television and watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the Moon thinking to myself, wow, Americans can do anything.

She went on to talk about the history of America and Australia and how we worked together to address the world's problems and how America had stood by Australia during World War II. She gave many examples. At the end of her speech, she said, I'm not that young girl today. I'm the Prime Minister of our country, and I've got a lot more experience under my belt, but I still believe that Americans can do anything.

I was sitting right over there, and I remember I could feel a cleansing breath take place in the House Chamber. You could have heard a pin drop in here. We heard something from a leader of another nation that we so desperately want to hear from our own leaders.

Mr. Speaker, America is the exception. We are gifted with the ability to innovate, compete, and solve the world's problems; and we've been doing it for over 230 years.

We can become energy independent and secure in this country. We can return the idea of American exceptionalism to this country. We can put the American Dream back into play to the over 14 million Americans that are out of work and the 40-plus million Americans that are underemployed.

I ask the President and the Senate today to begin to work with us in the House of Representatives to advance the idea of a real, no-kidding, all-of-the-above energy policy, one that puts America first above politics and above campaigning.

I want to thank my colleagues for being here again tonight. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to share.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2070) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to install in the area of the World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the Nation on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-day, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today, I rise in support of legislation that I sponsored, the World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011.

This legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to install at the World War II Memorial a suitable plaque or an inscription with the words that President Franklin Roosevelt prayed with the Nation on the morning of the D-day invasion.

This prayer, which has been entitled ``Let Our Hearts Be Stout,'' gave solace, comfort and strength to our Nation and our brave warriors as we fought against tyranny and oppression. The memorial was built to honor the 16 million who served in the Armed Forces of the United States during World War II and the more than 400,000 who died during the war.

Prior to introducing the legislation, I spoke to many World War II veterans in Ohio and asked them if they thought putting this prayer on the memorial would be appropriate. The answer was a resounding yes.

Furthermore, the Nation's largest service organization, the American Legion, is supportive of this legislation. The American Legion in a support letter said that this legislation would bolster the meaning of the memorial and would also give strength and encouragement to future generations.

It seems to me that if the remaining veterans of World War II are supportive of the prayer being added, we as a country should honor that request.

Unfortunately, the administration and the Department of the Interior don't think it's that easy. Last year, the Department of the Interior testified before the Natural Resources Committee that this legislation would ``necessarily dilute the central message of the memorial.'' Now, I don't know how the administration came to this position because I don't see how a nondenominational prayer that gave solace and comfort and strength to our Nation during one of the most pivotal days of World War II and one of the most memorable days in our Nation's history would dilute the central message of the memorial. In fact, I think it would do exactly the opposite and

would only strengthen the central message of the memorial.

To his credit, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar testified during a hearing last year that he personally disagreed with his own Department's testimony on the legislation. However, since his testimony, neither the Department of the Interior nor the administration has changed their official position on this legislation. I am hopeful after a bipartisan vote today on this legislation that the administration may have a change of heart.

Fortunately, you don't have to just take my word for it because today we are honored to be joined by George ``Poppy'' Fowler of Coolville, Ohio. Poppy is 88 years young and served 3 years, 10 days, 1 hour and 10 minutes in the United States Navy during World War II. He flew 35 missions in Air Group 15 on a SB2C Helldiver as both a rear gunner and photographer.

I had the pleasure of escorting Poppy last fall on an honor flight trip to visit the World War II Memorial, and he and I became friends.

When the Natural Resources Committee scheduled a hearing on this legislation, I invited Poppy to come testify before the committee, and he graciously accepted the offer and came out to testify at his own personal expense.

Here is a brief excerpt of Poppy's testimony at the hearing: ``I feel, with no doubt, that it would be appropriate that this prayer be inscribed in some manner at the World War II Memorial. Those reading this prayer will be able to recall the sacrifices made by our military, also those on the homefront. This prayer came at a perilous time, yet it was answered in victory at a dear cost of lives. Today, this prayer can pertain to any military action. Under present circumstances, it is also appropriate.''

Now, I don't think anybody or anyone in this body could be more succinct and articulate than Mr. Fowler, and I thank him again for coming to Washington to testify on behalf of this legislation and for being here for today's debate and final vote in the House.

Before I close, I also want to thank my fellow Ohioan, Chris Long, for his tireless efforts to gain support and momentum for this legislation. This legislation wouldn't be on the House floor today without Chris' efforts.

Like Poppy, I have no doubt that the prayer should be included among the tributes to the Greatest Generation memorialized on the National Mall, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for their support. May I ask if the minority bill manager has any additional speakers? We do not.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 290) to amend title 36, United States Code, to ensure that memorials commemorating the service of the United States Armed Forces may contain religious symbols, and for other purposes.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 290, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), will allow the inclusion of religious symbols as part of military monuments.

In 1913, a memorial that included a 43-foot tall cross was placed on Mt. Soledad in San Diego, California, as a tribute to the members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives to defend the United States. In 1989, the city of San Diego was sued over the cross, with critics claiming it violated the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and to the California Constitution.

Several remedies were attempted over the years to avoid the cross being removed by the courts. These included transferring the property to a nonprofit organization, but this, too, led to a lawsuit. The property was also declared a national memorial by Congress in 2004. In 2006, Congress enacted Public Law 109-272 to transfer the memorial to the Department of Defense. The Federal Government was sued, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the cross was unconstitutional.

While the legislation does not specifically resolve the constitutionality of the Mt. Soledad cross, this legislation will, for the first time, statutorily protect religious symbols in all war memorials and make clear Congress' intent in the U.S. Code.

I urge adoption of H.R. 290, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), the author of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Bilbray).

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1022) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study of alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the National Parks, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 1022 authorizes the National Park Service to study alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the national parks.

The Buffalo Soldiers were a segregated Army unit composed of African American cavalrymen. For nearly 25 years before the creation of the National Park Service, Yosemite National Park was administered by the U.S. Army. The Buffalo Soldiers played a key role protecting those park resources that have since been enjoyed by millions of Americans. Their success will be examined by this study that will focus on existing resources inside current national parks.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, may I ask if the minority bill manager has any additional speakers? We do not.

Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, here is the simple truth: the Obama administration is driven by a far left liberal ideology rather than the facts. This administration says it wants to put America back to work, but through its policies is doing the exact opposite. For example, because of the EPA's new train wreck of regulation, up to 160 direct jobs will be lost with the accelerated closure of Beverly, Ohio's Muskingum coal-fired power plant.

This train wreck of regulation is the most expensive regulation that the EPA has ever mandated. These costs will ultimately be passed on to hardworking families in the form of higher utility rates. This new disastrous regulation will also cost southern Ohio many indirect jobs related to the coal industry. No matter how you look at it, the President has declared war on the coal industry and the jobs that go with it.

It is time for this administration to get serious about creating real jobs, creating an energy policy that puts America first, and ending its war on coal.

It's amazing, Mr. Speaker. Those that now claim that we're opposed to increasing the sales tax holiday for 1 year actually voted against it just a few weeks ago, but we're here today to make sure that taxes on 160 million Americans don't go up on January 1. We're here to stop politics as usual in Washington. President Obama called for a 1-year extension of the payroll tax holiday, and we're here to do exactly that.

Job creators need economic certainty to create jobs, and to do that, we must extend the payroll tax holiday for 1 year. Kicking the can down the road only introduces more uncertainty into our economy. Payroll experts say that this is going to hurt small businesses.

Enough of these Washington gimmicks. The House already voted to extend the payroll tax holiday for a full year for all hardworking Americans, but the Senate Democrats opposed our bipartisan bill.

Senate Democrats have a clear choice to make: continue the game of Washington politics as usual or join with House Republicans to stop a tax increase on 160 million Americans. I urge them to make the right choice.

Mr. Speaker, it's time for President Obama and Harry Reid's do-nothing Senate to work with House Republicans to get America back to work. To date, House Republicans have passed 28 jobs bills, most recently the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, a bill that ensures all hardworking Americans keep more of their pay, protects Social Security, ensures access to medical care for seniors, and creates jobs.

But President Obama's contempt for job creation through energy development is astonishing. Why would he stand in the way of almost 200,000 new jobs that come with the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline that has bipartisan support? President Obama says he wants to put America back to work, but, at the same time, he threatens to veto a bill that would do exactly that and take us one step closer to energy independence.

The American people can't wait any longer. I urge the Senate and the President to act on measures that will spur job creation and real economic growth.

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the gentleman from Illinois, Congressman Randy Hultgren, on winning our friendly wager on the MAC football championship game last Friday. The participants in the game, Ohio University and Northern Illinois University, are located in the districts that we are privileged to represent.

The game was an instant classic. Both teams left everything on the field and gave it their all and, in the process, made their universities and their fans proud.

The OU Bobcats jumped out to an early lead, but the Huskies of Northern Illinois fought back. They showed their toughness and won the game on the game's final play. Another way to say it is that OU won the first half and that Northern Illinois won the second half. Both teams were worthy of participation in the game, but it's a shame that either team had to come out on the losing end.

I am very proud of the OU Bobcats, and I look forward to watching both teams compete in their bowl games and represent their schools in the same fashion they did last Friday night.

Congratulations to Congressman Hultgren.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 10, the REINS Act, because America's job creators are buried in red tape and need certainty from the Federal Government in order to create jobs. This bill would provide that.

You know, when I travel up and down eastern and southeastern Ohio, I hear a recurring theme from the businesses that I meet with: Government overregulation is strangling their ability to hire new employees, expand their businesses, innovate, and compete.

Today it costs a business over $10,000 per employee just to comply with current Federal regulations. This administration that claims it believes in reducing the burden on small business is in the process of adding another $67 billion worth of new regulations this year alone.

This administration is burying small businesses, and enough is enough. The REINS Act will simply return control of the regulatory process to the American people, who are fed up with unelected bureaucrats stopping job creation and delaying true economic recovery.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, one thing is certain: Excessive government regulations are hurting America's economy and strangling job creation.

Just this year, new regulations cost our economy almost $100 billion, and this is just the cost of new regulations this year. The Small Business Administration estimates that regulations cost our economy approximately $1.75 trillion annually. This is unacceptable.

With over 14 million Americans out of work, we can't afford these excessive government regulations. But instead of creating jobs, President Obama would rather create more regulations that kill jobs and burden small businesses.

Now, House Republicans have done the exact opposite. As part of the House Republican Plan for America's Job Creators, we're fighting to reduce the regulatory burdens to empower small businesses to create jobs. We've passed over 20 bills that will create much needed jobs right now.

President Obama and Senate Democrats need to work for job creation, not against it, because the people of eastern and southeastern Ohio and all Americans deserve better.

Mr. Speaker, I am indeed a great supporter of the balanced budget amendment, and I stand in strong support of it today.

You know, it's amazing to me we still keep talking about the Bush-era tax cuts. Those same tax cuts are today's current tax law that have been affirmed by this Congress, this Senate, and signed into law by this President. So why we keep blaming financial woes on President Bush is beyond me.

But let's make one thing perfectly clear. The American people are not taxed too little. The problem is that Washington spends too much. This has been going on for years, and it needs to stop now. We need a balanced budget amendment because Washington has clearly indicated its inability to discipline itself.

This balanced budget amendment offers Congress and the President a very clear choice, either stand with the already overtaxed American families and small businesses who have to balance their budgets on a daily basis, or stand with the Washington establishment that always demands more of the American people, more of their hard-earned tax dollars without any accountability for how they spend their money.

American families have to stick to a budget every month, so why should the Federal Government be any different? We can't keep mortgaging our children's future to China.

It's time to take a stand, Mr. Speaker. The ``tax and spend and then blame the American people for not paying their `fair share' game'' must end, and it can end today. Passing the balanced budget amendment will help bring this country back to economic prosperity and end this game.

Madam Speaker, I have breaking news for President Obama and Senate Democrats:

House Republicans have passed more than 20 bills that would create much needed jobs, but the Democrat-controlled Senate won't even consider them.

The hardworking people of eastern and southeastern Ohio are ready to get back to work. In fact, they've been ready. So I'm serious about creating and protecting jobs now. That's why I was proud to introduce the Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act, which would prevent the Obama administration from enacting more job-killing regulations.

This administration's war on America's coal industry will be devastating to eastern and southeastern Ohio. Up to 27,000 direct and indirect coal jobs are at risk from the administration's proposed rewrite of the stream buffer zone rule--and that's just one regulation.

This bill is part of the House Republican jobs plan that you can find at jobs.gop.gov. I urge the Senate to get to work and to pass these important bills now.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to express my strong support and gratitude to America's heroes, our veterans. While our servicemembers and veterans deserve our gratitude and thanks every day, Veterans Day, which we will celebrate next Friday, serves as an important reminder of the sacrifices that our brave men in uniform make every day to defend our freedoms.

As a veteran myself, I am also aware of the extraordinary sacrifices that families at home endure while their loved ones are deployed. I would like to extend my thanks to those families for their patience and support which play an integral role in the success of our troops serving abroad.

As a member of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, I am committed to ensuring that our Nation's veterans, their families, and survivors receive the care, benefits, and services they've earned.

Once again, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to our Nation's veterans and their families.

Mr. Speaker, it's time for the President to get a grip on reality. He obviously doesn't understand the unemployment crisis that's crippling America.

The President says that he hasn't seen the House Republican jobs plan. Well, here it is. It's been out since May, and it's available at jobs.gop.gov. Now, maybe the White House is having an Internet problem.

I'm proud to join Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings in recommending plans to the supercommittee that create jobs right here in America while at the same time reducing the deficit, ideas like increasing onshore and offshore energy production. Increasing offshore energy production will create over 1 million new jobs alone and would generate billions in new Federal revenue. But President Obama would rather make bad bets on green companies like Solyndra, wasting hard- earned taxpayer dollars.

House Republicans have passed jobs bill after jobs bill--they're stacked up like cordwood on the Senate floor--but Senator Reid and President Obama refuse to consider them. The American people deserve better. President Obama's ideologically driven, job-killing policies are hurting America.